Mother duck went out one day...

A year ago my mother unexpectedly left us. We wanted to honor her today. My sister, her family, Panda, and I decided to launch 66 rubber ducks into the mighty Mississippi River in honor of each year of her life (you can find her more eloquently written post about today HERE).  My other sister sadly lives out of state and could not join us.  

Mum loved the story about a cargo ship of rubber ducks that had tipped in the ocean several years ago. A huge flock of rubber ducks escaped and scientists have been using them track ocean currents ever since. Mum would gleefully report every sighting of them. We brought every sort of duck imaginable to the river today, and ended up having a few extra. There were big ones, small ones, pirate ones, angel ones, leprechauns.. You name it.. Mum always loved extras, so we threw them in as well. We didn't do a final count, but it was over 70 ducks. She would have loved this.

At first we gently placed them in the water, but they didn't want to leave the shore, so then we started lobbing them out into the middle where two great rivers meet. A spot sacred to the Dakota and Ojibwa tribes who once lived here. A sacred place of Peace. Mum loved this park. There was joy and sorrow, tears and laughter. Half the ducks decided to go up stream and the other half headed south towards the ocean.. Yes, she would have even loved that.

As they floated away, to join the sea or to be found and brighten the day of some stranger further down the river, we silently sipped her favorite beverage....

  and toasted our mother duck who has gone over the hills and faraway.

I love you Mum.

Faraway, but never forgotten.

Shine on...

Always shine.